Ramen Ittouya — Restaurant in Niigata

ITTOUYA is a popular ramen shop located in Chuo-ku, Niigata City. The shop specializes in soy sauce ramen and offers a rich and flavorful broth topped with large slices of chashu (roast pork) and thick menma (bamboo shoots). One of their recommended dishes is the spicy Gaten rice bowl, which pairs well with the pronounced heat of their homemade chili oil. With a spacious interior, ITTOUYA can accommodate up to 44 customers. The restaurant opens from 11 AM to 9 PM, including Sundays; however, they close once the soup runs out. It's located at 3-5-23 Shichiku-Yama, Chuo-ku, Niigata City, and can be reached on foot in approximately 18 minutes from Niigata Station South Exit. ITTOUYA focuses mainly on their soy sauce ramen offering. Their signature is the rich soy sauce broth, complemented by generous portions of chashu and menma. The Gaten rice bowl, which features spicy chili oil, is also highly recommended. The restaurant's spacious seating area ensures smooth customer turnover. However, when visiting around 12:30 PM on weekdays, the parking lot was full, resulting in a short wait. During the wait, names were written down, and there were five parties waiting ahead of us. Highly praised menu items include the Kasane Shoyu (Double Soy Sauce) ramen and Chashu-men (Ramen with Extra Pork). The Kasane Shoyu ramen costs 830 yen and allows for the addition of one extra chashu slice and half a portion of rice. The chashu slices are particularly substantial, with each slice weighing 100g. The Chashu-men includes three slices, providing a satisfying amount of meat. The soup is known for its seafood and pork bone flavor, and it is praised for its mildness and ease of consumption. The noodles are medium-thick straight noodles with a smooth texture, which also complement the dipping noodles. The menma is nearly square-shaped and comes in two large pieces, offering a delightful chewiness. ITTOUYA is a larger-scale regional shop, often attracting families and solo female customers. Its establishment and waiting area exude a casual atmosphere akin to a family restaurant. Make sure to visit ITTOUYA, known for its rich soy sauce ramen, generous chashu slices, and...

Good thing I got here early, because it got only longer afterwards. And the wait was absolutely worth it because their Kasane Shoyu Chashu Ramen was amazing.

There is nothing subtle about this ramen. The second it arrives at your table, you can smell the charred pork and the deep fishy richness of the soup. Starting off with the soup, it is a tonkotsu pork bone, soy sauce, and fish (primarily niboshi if my tastebuds are right) base. It is almost overwhelming in it's salty, savory richness which is right by me. And that chashu? Thick, juicy, soft, smokey, and with unbelievable portions. Ridiculous at this price! The thin wheat noodles, too, were quite good in their own right, along with the thick slices of bamboo and nice, soft egg.

For only 930￥ for the chashu ramen and 100￥ more for the large serving, it definitely hit the meaty, savory spot. Do yourself a favor and check out this popular...

Arrived around 1pm on a Friday afternoon (31 May 2024) and there was no queue. As shared by other reviewers, ordering is via a vending machine (all in Japanese) and after paying, you pass the slips of paper to the service staff, and be shown your seat.

The ramen is al dente, and the char siew is excellent!! Nicely charred and flavorful. The slice I had wasn’t hard to bite. The small bowl かさね noodles was sufficiently filling but managed to stuff down the rice as well. 😅

This store is definitely worth the walk from Niigata station. Shines on all accounts of food, taste and quality....